Thursday, February 3, 2011

Meta Meta Meta Cognition

Meta cognition: the act of thinking about thinking.

My learning style is mostly visual.I learn best when I can watch someone perform a task and then I emulate them.In school, I was a much better math student than English student because there was only one way to do a certain math problem where there are many different ways to write a paper.I wish I could use this same approach to understanding how others think.I want to get inside the mind and visually see the different steps it takes to get to a certain conclusion.Even if I could do it with one person, it would still be pointless since everybody thinks differently.Let me explain how I think:

My mind really does not have an “off” switch.I am constantly thinking.I tend to analyze (many would say over-analyze) everything I do over and over again in my mind.I will analyze if I said “hello” loud enough (because you got to be heard). The first question I’ll ask is “Was I loud enough?” Once I answer that question I’ll move onto “Does it matter?” That question is quickly followed by “Well if it doesn’t matter, why are you thinking so much about it?” And eventually I may get the question “Why does it matter to me?” and “Should it matter to me?”All this from a simple “hello.”The good news is I am past the “loudness of the hello conundrum” and I normally think about different but not necessarily less shallow thoughts.

Am I crazy for thinking this way? We all think differently and that is what makes us unique.God has helped me see this and know that it is not a bad for me to think this way as long as I don’t allow it to control my mind (which is easier said than done).